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Well, dear readers, the title says it all. It truly is about time – and not just the “about time you submitted another article, Sir Paul”! Time has certainly passed by rather quickly since I last put the finger to keyboard here. So very much has happened during my hiatus, too, but I’m sure you either have guessed that or know that for certain. I won’t bore you with anecdotes and details of recent history. …

It is the #1 Question of Foreigners Can I own Land in the Philippines? Philippine Real Estate, it is a prime topic of foreigner conversation. In this article, we will address the hottest topic out there in terms of foreigners living in the Philippines. The ownership of real estate here. Let’s have a look at ownership of Philippine Real Estate. In short, you cannot own land in the Philippines unless you are a natural-born Filipino…

I always liked adventures with Arik, because it gave me long opportunities to talk to him during the voyage. This week would be spent visiting one of Arik’s school brothers, Xagas. (Pronounced ‘Zagas’). We would be traveling from Cebu City to Sante Fe, Bantayan where Xagas was staying. Also, it was nice to bring my wife along. I may need her for translation purposes as well. But, of course, she couldn’t speak native Manobo. Ylime,…

When I lived in California communications was easy. I would pick up a phone, landline if I was at home or in the office, or Cell phone if I was traveling (no answer, no problem just leave a message). Or if need be to send an email with attachments if it was work related and I needed to share documents. I did not use Facebook much as I did not need to most of the…

Like everyone else with family in the Philippines, I have had experience with the unexpected hospital or medical visits. Based on my long distance I relied on the information on LiP to encourage my family members to sign up for PhilHealth. I have offered to pay for the fee for the higher risk families or family members. The general response has been that they postponed doing so because they didn’t understand it and didn’t want…

I have lived in the Philippines for 19 years It has been a major part of my life Yes, Feyma and I have decided to depart the Philippines. Probably forever. It is unlikely that we will ever live here again. Maybe we will be back for a visit, but even that is uncertain. I am not anti-Philippines, in fact, I love the Philippines. I had a good and successful life here. In terms of the…

Bob and Feyma Martin are moving to the United States. What will happen to LiP? This website, commonly referred to as LiP, has been around since 2006. Starting around 2007 it got quite successful, took on a multi-author platform, and has been part of my daily life (I am the owner, publisher, and a site writer) ever since. I also know that LiP has become a daily excursion for many readers. People tell me every…

Feyma and I are moving back to the United States When will it happen? Frankly, Feyma and I have settled on the decision, it is not in question at all anymore. We are moving to the United States. But when? We will be staying in the Philippines for another 5 to 6 months or so. There are a number of factors in the “when” question. Nicole Our niece, Nicole, who has been living with us…

Bob & Feyma are moving to the USA Where will they live in the United States? When Feyma and I finally reached our decision about moving back to the USA, we thought everything would be simple after that. It was not! Unlike most people, I really don’t have a “hometown” in the United States. When I was growing up, my Dad worked in an industry where he was transferred from place to place a lot.…

I have already heard this question We are moving back to the USA, why are we fleeing the Philippines? Ever since my misinterpreted article a couple of months ago which made some readers think that we were moving back to the USA, people have been asking me what we are running away from. Why do we want to leave the Philippines? At the time I wrote that article, I really had no intention of leaving…

We have decided to make a major change Many people misinterpreted my September 19 article Back in September, I published an article about whether Feyma and I would move back to the USA. As I said in the article, it is something we have been considering for several years. During these years, when we have considered moving back, we have always ended up deciding to stay in the Philippines. In our discussions in August and…

As my father explained to me while teaching me to put a minnow on a hook for fishing, anyone can put a hook through a minnow’s eye, but one has to have a strong firm hand, be diligent and work hard if they want to become a master baiter. I like to start my articles with a hook, pun intended. I use literary devices like alliteration in the title sometimes, but I try to choose…